I know a kid who didn't do a day of preschool and is excelling in his first year of grade school. He's a Kindergartner who's just a few months in and is already taking home 1st grade reading and math homework.

I'm sure we all "know a kid", but just wondering if overall there is a correlation between preschool and adhd diagnosis. I'm pretty sure there is a correlation between attending preschool and basically being a productive member of society from the studies done.

To be fair, you're never at your best in a mug shot. The police aren't exactly Olan Mills what with the stark, florescent lighting and unflattering camera angles. I don't think a single one of those people said cheese.

And let me say: ADD/ADHD can be a REAL thing. There are actual people who have attention issues. My wife is one of them. But the complete epidemic we're experiencing with it is not real. It's a symptom of societal problems and transitions.

__________________In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
- H. L. Mencken

This is totally thread hijacking, but if you haven't watch Ken Robinson's TED talk on schools killing creativity, you should:

Here is a great anecdote about ADD and schools:

Quote:

And the third thing about intelligence is, it's distinct. I'm doing a new book at the moment called "Epiphany," which is based on a series of interviews with people about how they discovered their talent. I'm fascinated by how people got to be there. It's really prompted by a conversation I had with a wonderful woman who maybe most people have never heard of; she's called Gillian Lynne -- have you heard of her? Some have. She's a choreographer and everybody knows her work. She did "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera." She's wonderful. I used to be on the board of the Royal Ballet in England, as you can see. Anyway, Gillian and I had lunch one day and I said, "Gillian, how'd you get to be a dancer?" And she said it was interesting; when she was at school, she was really hopeless. And the school, in the '30s, wrote to her parents and said, "We think Gillian has a learning disorder." She couldn't concentrate; she was fidgeting. I think now they'd say she had ADHD. Wouldn't you? But this was the 1930s, and ADHD hadn't been invented at this point. It wasn't an available condition. (Laughter) People weren't aware they could have that.

Anyway, she went to see this specialist. So, this oak-paneled room, and she was there with her mother, and she was led and sat on this chair at the end, and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes while this man talked to her mother about all the problems Gillian was having at school. And at the end of it -- because she was disturbing people; her homework was always late; and so on, little kid of eight -- in the end, the doctor went and sat next to Gillian and said, "Gillian, I've listened to all these things that your mother's told me, and I need to speak to her privately." He said, "Wait here. We'll be back; we won't be very long," and they went and left her. But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out the room, he said to her mother, "Just stand and watch her." And the minute they left the room, she said, she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes and he turned to her mother and said, "Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer. Take her to a dance school."

I said, "What happened?" She said, "She did. I can't tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room and it was full of people like me. People who couldn't sit still. People who had to move to think." Who had to move to think. They did ballet; they did tap; they did jazz; they did modern; they did contemporary. She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School; she became a soloist; she had a wonderful career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School and founded her own company -- the Gillian Lynne Dance Company -- met Andrew Lloyd Weber. She's been responsible for some of the most successful musical theater productions in history; she's given pleasure to millions; and she's a multi-millionaire. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down.

__________________In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
- H. L. Mencken

I never felt the need to take it...I wrote a friend's paper and in exchange he gave me 20 Ritalin which led me to my best academic semester ever...

but after I took the 20 I never felt the need to get more, pay for more, beg for more...etc.

I never took them again because I just sort of lost interest in academics. I'm still about 20 credit hours short of graduating and I'm 27. No plans in going back and no plans to ever take Ritalin again.

I certainly never felt "high" or even enjoyed it...it simply just helped me focus. Maybe I honestly needed a prescription, I have no idea.

And let me say: ADD/ADHD can be a REAL thing. There are actual people who have attention issues. My wife is one of them. But the complete epidemic we're experiencing with it is not real. It's a symptom of societal problems and transitions.

I'm not sure there even IS an epidemic. Much like SSRI's in the 90's, Adderall seems to me to be the "in" drug right now.